WFTDA Releases French and German Rules Translations, Announces December 2017 Document Releases

November 13, 2017

The Women’s Flat Track Roller Derby Association released the web format of the French and German translations of the January 1, 2017 edition of* The Rules of Flat Track Roller Derby*. Both releases are the result of the hard work of our volunteer French and German translation teams.

The French translation is the first gender-inclusive translation that reflects the gender neutral language in which the original rules are written, in accordance with the WFTDA Gender Policy.

“The WFTDA wrote The Rules of Flat Track Roller Derby in English, using gender-neutral language, in order to conform to its gender policy.

Unlike in English, there is no neutral gender in French. The masculine gender prevails over the feminine, but this wasn’t always the case.

We believe that linguistic uses should adapt to social uses.

We are convinced that the world we choose to put into words contributes to our linguistic representations, and conversely, that our perception of the world is shaped by the language we use. For this reason, we decided it was important to adhere to the principles of gender-inclusive writing.

We made this decision so that women, men, and non-binary people would be included and represented in this translation, so that they can identify with it.

This type of language makes for inclusive and equalitarian communication, and puts an end to the invisibilization of the feminine in French.

This decision is in perfect alignment with the values “Real”, “Strong”, and “Revolutionary,” which are key aspects of the WFTDA philosophy. This translation is rooted in the reality of our sport. It carries a strong meaning for the members of our community. And we must acknowledge that this project is revolutionary.

In December 2017, WFTDA will release updates to the following documents:

The Rules of Flat Track Roller Derby

This release includes the following adjustments:

Align the rules with the new officiating verbal cues and hand signals;

Move rules language from the Casebook into the Rules document;

Resolve Casebook numbering issues; and

Implement corrections made as errata into the rules document.

Officiating Procedures, Cues and Hand Signals

Following testing on a new set of verbal cues, hand signals and penalty codes for the 2017 Rules, WFTDA Officiating will release a new set of officiating procedure documents and animated resources for officiating training.

StatsBook and StatsBook Manual

Updates to align the StatsBook with the new penalty codes, new PT/LT sheets, and bug fixes.

All photos and content on this website are copyrighted by their respective creators. Please do not reproduce, print, or use any photos in any context without the express written permission of the WFTDA.